QUEBEC CITY (CNS) Sacrifice is the heart of the Eucharist and Christian life, said Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France. To "present Christianity without the cross, or mention (of) the eucharistic sacrifice … would be a lie," he said in French during his June 17 catechesis at the June 15-22 International Eucharistic Congress.
Cardinal Barbarin said that by faith the altar is the table of Holy Thursday, the cross of Good Friday and the tomb from which Jesus rose from the dead.
From the Jews, Christians inherited the concept of memorial, he said. The biblical word does not mean merely a monument to the past but "God’s active presence, a God who saves us today as he did in the past," said the cardinal.
Even if this mystery took place 2,000 years ago, Christians believe that at every Mass they are like the apostles gathered around the Lord for the Last Supper, he said. They are like Mary at the foot of the cross, with a few women and the disciple Jesus loved; they are like witnesses to sightings of Jesus, he said.
"Who is celebrating this mystery?" Cardinal Barbarin asked.
Jesus said, "I have chosen you," and people are called to answer with their vocations and in their sacrifices, said the cardinal.
He explained that the word sacrifice is often understood to mean suffering and deprivation, but it also is the joy invoked with an inner attitude of offering.
The characteristic of sacrifice is love, he said.
"Start with the priest," he said, noting that the priest of the Latin rite gives power to the words "This is my body given up for you" because he is celibate.
